1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a video server and, more particularly, a video server capable of scheduling delivery of video and graphics to an on-screen display.
2. Description of the Related Art
The Internet is used by millions of people today to access information via the World Wide Web (WWW). The information is typically displayed as a hypertext markup language (HTML) document, commonly referred to as a web pages. Information accessed via the Internet commonly includes news reports, financial reports, e.g., stock quotes, weather, and sports scores. The information from the Internet can be accessed using a variety of client devices, including personal computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), cellular telephones, and other Internet connected devices. The Internet is often used to obtain information that is very current, i.e., information that is updated in real-time, often by the second.
Broadcast television or video is also watched by many people as a source of obtaining information. Many people watch newscasts as an alternative to obtaining information via the Internet. Television is also a primary source of home entertainment in today's society.
Combining web page graphics and video is a tedious process requiring user intervention to align the video and graphics, and then combine them into a single output stream. The stream may be stored for streaming to viewers at a later time in accordance with a broadcast schedule. Combining graphics and video in an a-priori manner is not flexible and cannot accommodate the use of “real-time” graphics.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a method and apparatus that combines video and graphics using an ad hoc format and delivers the video and graphics to an on-screen display.